Naylor Community
Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Deuteronomy
10:12-21
Deuteronomy
10:12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the
Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s
commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
14
To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth
and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and
loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is
today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any
longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great
God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He
defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner
residing among you, giving them food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those
who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. 20 Fear the
Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.
21 He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great
and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.
-- it’s kind of hard to believe it
now, but a few years ago, I was heavily into fitness – I was eating right – I
was working out at the gym – I was doing everything I could to improve my
health and my fitness levels
-- as part of that effort, I spent a
lot of time researching the right way to do things – reading books and blogs
and internet sites and talking with people about how I could get healthier and
more fit in my life
-- and even though I have not been
able to maintain the same level of fitness that I had several years ago because
of injuries and other issues in my life, there was one truth that I learned
during this time that I still lean on today – and that is the difference
between working out and training
– most people who are starting to try to
get fit or who take up a new year’s resolution to lose weight just go to the
gym to work out – and by that, I mean that they just go to the gym and do
whatever they feel like, with no specific plan or goal in mind – they might
jump on the treadmill today and go to the bicycle tomorrow and use a few of the
weight machines in-between – but they have no clear vision or goal they are
trying to obtain, other than simply “working out” – and so they spend a lot of
time in the gym doing stuff, but without making any real progress
-- contrary to them are the people who go
to the gym to train – the term “train” implies a process or method to obtain a
goal in someone’s life – and all their actions – all their activities in the
gym, are done with that goal or vision in mind – these are the people who make
progress in their life and actually accomplish something
-- for instance, I follow a retired
theological professor online who has been training for the last two years to
climb the Matterhorn in the Alps – he had spent time in Switzerland, and the
Matterhorn captured his imagination – and he dreamed one day of making it to
the top -- now that he is in his sixties, he has decided to go for it
– to make his vision a reality – he began
by researching what muscles and what skills he would need to climb that
mountain, and then set out a training program to meet those goals – he knew he
needed to reach up and climb with his arms, so he started doing pull-ups and
chin-ups to strengthen his shoulders and arms – he knew he needed a strong grip
to grasp rocks and projections, so he began working on his grip strength
through wrist curls – he knew he needed a strong chest to pull his body up
during the climb, so he began doing bench presses and other similar movements –
and over the last two years, with a firm training plan in place, he is moving
steadily closer and closer to becoming a person that can climb the Matterhorn –
the pictures he posts of the change in his physique and strength are amazing –
and it’s all because he chose to train to meet his goals rather than just
showing up and working out, like so many others have done
-- the difference between working out and
training is the need for a vision or a goal that you are aiming for – that you
are striving to obtain in your life – it is the vision that makes all the
difference
-- Proverbs 29:18 says, "when there
is no vision, the people perish" -- there is a profound truth in that
statement that we can clearly see portrayed in two different ways in our
society
-- first, without a vision of the future
to lead them and guide them, people may just quit living, such as the case with
people who have just retired or who lose their job and find themselves without
a plan and who end up doing nothing with the rest of their lives
-- and, secondly, without a vision of the
future to lead them and guide them, people may get wrapped up in themselves and
fail to live up to their potential or to what God is calling them to do --
spending time and money and effort to please themselves or better themselves
while not moving forward into the plans that God has for them and their life --
people who become the stereotype of someone going through a midlife crisis
-- the night before he was assassinated,
President John F. Kennedy used Proverb 29:18 in a speech to the nation -- it
was an impassioned appeal for the people of the United States to dream big --
to be big -- to do things that were greater than themselves
-- all throughout his short presidency,
Kennedy cast a vision for America that propelled us to do great things --
remember his famous words in his inauguration address? -- "Ask not what
your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country"
-- Kennedy was a visionary leader -- a
person who recognized the value in having dreams and plans and goals for our
individual lives and for our nation -- and his vision of a brighter and more
productive future invigorated our country in a time when a vision of the future
was sorely needed
-- without a vision, people and nations
and churches perish -- their lives may be filled with sound and fury -- they
may burn themselves out with activity -- but if it is action without purpose,
it is to no avail
-- to have a vision is to have a future --
to have a vision is to have a plan -- a goal -- a direction -- to have a vision
is to be part of something bigger than yourself -- it is to make a difference
in the lives of others as you seek to fulfill God's plans for your life
-- this morning, I wanted us to look
at Moses’ farewell address to the nation of Israel from the Book of Deuteronomy
– for over 40 years, Moses had led the nation of Israel – leading them out of
Egypt and slavery at the Lord’s command – and leading them in the wilderness,
as God used that time to grow them and mature them into the people He wanted
them to be – not like their ancestors who rejected Him and refused to be
obedient to His commands
-- now the time has finally come for
the nation of Israel to go into the Promised Land and to take possession of it
– but God has told Moses that he could not go with them – and so, at the Lord’s
direction, Moses stands there on the banks of the Jordan River and gives the
nation of Israel this final charge – that they might have a vision and a goal
for the future – that they might remember who they are and who God is – that
they might remember the commands of God for them and the covenant He has
established with them – so that they might move on to take possession of the
Promised Land to be become the people God has called them to be
-- there is much we can learn about
following God and having a vision for Him and His kingdom from this passage –
so, let’s look at this together now and see what we can learn about having a
vision for God and how we can follow Him in these tumultuous times that we live
in
II. Scripture Lesson (Deuteronomy 10:12-21)
-- verse 12-13
Deuteronomy
10:12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the
Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s
commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
-- in these verses, Moses gives the
nation of Israel the five-fold vision of what it means to live in relationship
with the Lord God Almighty – the five things that God asks from this nation and
from this people that He has called to Himself out of all the nations on the
earth
-- let me pause there for a second
and point out something to you about the calling and separating of Israel from
all other nations as God’s chosen people – the Old Testament, including
passages like this, were written for a specific people in a specific time – it was
written for the nation of Israel – the people of the original covenant with God
-- for that reason, the laws and the
promises that are given in the Old Testament are primarily for those people and
for that specific nation – we have a tendency to read the Bible and try to claim
those promises for ourselves and for our nation – in this period of Christian
Nationalism in our country, I have heard many people trying to claim these
promises of God for Israel as a promise for the United States – that is not the
case – these promises were given for Israel alone at that time – and probably
cannot even be applied to the modern nation of Israel
-- so, be careful that you don’t
read through the Old Testament and assume that God is speaking to our nation –
He is not – we are not the substitute or successor to the ancient nation of
Israel
-- the laws and the promises in here are
not specifically for us or our nation – and to try to apply them in some
nationalistic fashion at this point in our history is the wrong use of the
Bible – the laws and the commands that He gave the nation of Israel were
relevant only to them and only at that particular time, so be careful in how
you read them and apply them
-- with that said, though, I want
you to know that the Old Testament is still valuable to us today – that God
still speaks to us today through these pages – in the Old Testament, we learn
who God is and what He wants from us – we learn about His nature and character
– we learn about His holiness and righteousness and faithfulness – and we learn
how we are to relate to Him in terms of worshiping Him, praising Him, and
following His commands in our lives today
-- while most of the law and the
commands that we read of in the first five books of the Old Testament do not
apply to us today, those passages where we read of God’s nature and character
and His moral law and expectations of His people in a spiritual sense are
relevant and appropriate for us to obey
–
that is true of this passage – for the five things that God asks of the nation
of Israel here in verses 12 and 13 are the same things He asks of us today and
that we see recorded for us in the New Testament as part of the teachings of
Jesus and the apostles
-- the first thing that God asks of us is
that we fear Him -- -- the fear of the
Lord is the reverence and awe we experience when confronted with the very
presence and power of God -- the fear of the Lord is the attitude we should
take when we enter into the presence of our God and our Creator
-- Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the
LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.” -- the reason why the fear of the Lord is described as the
beginning of wisdom is because it opens the eyes of our hearts -- it enables us
to see just how majestic and powerful and mighty our Lord is -- it puts us in a
right place in our lives -- and it exalts God to the throne of our heart
-- the nation of Israel had already
shown a tendency to lose sight of who God was – they had turned away from Him
and made for themselves a golden calf to worship, as Moses was on Mount Sinai
in the presence of God receiving the Ten Commandments – they had repeatedly
turned away from God and murmured against Him and His leaders during their time
in the desert wilderness – they were prone to leaving God and turning away from
Him
-- so, the first command of God to
the Israelites and to us is to remember Him – to fear Him – to know who He is
so that we will not be tempted to stray or follow other gods
-- to live in the fear of God is to
recognize His power and authority and might and to live our lives in light of this understanding of
God
-- the second command God gives
Israel here is to walk in obedience to Him – in other words, to obey His
commands and His laws – like I said, most of the laws in the Old Testament were
given only for the nation of Israel – these civil and ceremonial laws were
given to help the people separate themselves out from the nations around them
and to help them live in fear of the God who had redeemed them and brought them
into the Promised Land
-- there were other laws given in
the Old Testament for the Israelites that are still relevant for us today – the
moral laws – the Ten Commandments and the laws that are given that command
obedience to God’s holy and righteous decrees
-- although Jesus came to fulfill
the Law and to redeem us from the power of the Law, that doesn’t mean that we
are to live lives filled with sin – that doesn’t mean that we are to go through
life doing what pleases us – no, we are to obey the commands of God and live
for Him in all holiness and righteousness – and while we do not have a written
code to follow now, we have the moral code of holiness and righteousness that
is written on our hearts and that the Spirit guides us to follow
-- this is what Paul was referring
to when he wrote in Romans 7:6 that we died to the law that we might serve God
in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code
-- the third command of God for the
Israelites here is to love Him – this is not referring to emotions, but to a
commitment to God – love in the Bible is a verb, not a noun – to love God is to
live for Him – to be in a relationship with Him – to do what He says – to seek
His good and His glory above all – it is a reflection of His love for us
-- to love like this is a choice of the
will -- Loving God means to deeply admire, enjoy, and find delight in who He is
and all that He represents -- It involves obeying His commands -- believing His
word -- and expressing gratitude for His gifts -- Ultimately, it's about
experiencing a sense of joy and fulfillment in knowing and relating to God –
and then allowing our love for Him to overflow to others, which brings us to
the fourth command
-- the fourth command that God gives here
is to serve Him with all our hearts and with all our souls – our service to God
and to others in His name comes from hearts overflowing with love – we do for
others because God has done for us – we do for God because of who He is and His
great love for us
-- service flows out of the love that we
have for God – that’s why we are commanded here to love the Lord our God with
all our hearts and with all our souls – all that we are and all that we do are
to be driven by our love for God -- Out of “love,” we serve Him with all our
heart and with all our soul—rather than merely out of duty
-- as John Calvin wrote, “This is a divine
requirement that needs to be specially urged in His Name -- We are not saved
merely to rejoice in salvation, but to glorify God by a life of consecrated
service to Him -- This service implies selling, giving, [and] following” – it
means presenting our bodies to God and letting our acts of service be offerings
and gifts of sacrifice to Him
-- the final command He gives us here in
these verses is to observe His commands and decrees – once again, remembering
that this was written to the nation of Israel and that the commands and decrees
that follow in the Book of Deuteronomy and the rest of the Old Testament
primarily apply to them – God tells them here to follow and observe His
commands and decrees for their own good, because if they did not do what He
commanded, things would go bad for them in the Promised Land
-- the danger of idolatry and syncretism
were present in the land – and God gave the Israelites commands and decrees
that seem harsh to us today but that were necessary to help separate the nation
of Israel from the pagan practices and religion that were already established
in the land
-- for us, this call to observe His
commands and decrees is to remain obedient to Him and to do what He tells us to
do – to love Him and serve Him in all our ways – to do His will – to love Him
with all our hearts and minds and soul and strength and to love our neighbors
as ourselves
-- and this will look different in all of
our lives because we are not following a written code of commands and decrees,
but following the commands of God given to us individually through His Spirit –
that’s why some people are drawn to helping the homeless or the immigrants and
others are drawn to serving those who are pregnant and considering abortion –
our hearts lead us to serve where God is calling us, and He has placed on our
hearts the commands and the direction He would have us go
-- we are all called to serve and to love
and to be obedient to Him, but that will look different for each of us because
we are different people – called by God to different missions – but still parts
of one body working to fulfill His commands and His will here on earth as the
church of Jesus Christ
-- these five things are what the Lord our
God asks of us today – this is our vision – our mission – as followers of Jesus
-- we are to fear Him – to walk in
obedience to Him – to love Him – to serve Him – and to observe His commands and
decrees
-- this was true for the Israelites as
they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land,
and this is true for us, as we stand here in the 21st century and
try to live lives in accordance with God’s word
-- verse 14-16
Deuteronomy
10:14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the
earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors
and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as
it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked
any longer.
-- in these verses, Moses reminds
the nation of Israel of who God is and why they should follow Him and obey all
His commands – He is the Lord God Almighty – He is our Creator and Redeemer --
to Him belong the heavens and the earth and all the peoples of earth
– and it was by God’s choice and God’s
will that He called out to Himself a people – the descendants of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob – to be His chosen people – the nation of Israel – the keepers
of the word and the knowledge of the Lord – and the people from whom would come
the Messiah
-- remember this, Moses says – remember
this and know that God didn’t choose you because you were special or because
you were better than anyone else – God chose you because of His love for you –
He set His affection on you – and all that you are and all that you will be is
because of Him
-- so, stop being stiff-necked and
hard-hearted – Moses tells them to circumcise their hearts here – this is a
reminder that obedience to the law will not save – but that only those whose
hearts are turned to the Lord – only those who have put their faith and trust
in the Lord and who love Him with all their hearts and souls and minds and
strength – are truly redeemed and called and separated to God as His chosen
people
-- Moses is trying to get the Israelites
to understand who they are in relation to God – and that even though they are
destined to enter the Promised Land and conquer the nations already there, it
isn’t through their own strength or ability but because God has chosen them for
this purpose and has given them the ability to do so
-- verse 17-21
Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is
God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no
partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and
the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and
clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves
were foreigners in Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to
him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is the one you praise; he is your
God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your
own eyes.
-- the rest of this passage goes on to
describe the heart and the nature and character of God – it is a reminder of
who God and what is important to Him and what should be important to us – we
are to follow Him – to do what He does – to love as He loves – to serve as He
leads
-- our God is the God of gods and the Lord
of lords – the great God Almighty – mighty and awesome – the King of kings –
the only King we are to follow
-- God does not show partiality, as Joshua
learned when he spoke to the preincarnate Jesus on the banks of the Jordan
River before the battle for Jericho in Joshua 5:13-15 – Joshua saw a man
standing in front of him with a drawn sword, and Joshua asked him, “Are you for
us or our enemies?” – and the man replied, “Neither” – God is not for one
nation and against another – it is God’s will that no one should perish, but
that all should come to repentance and receive eternal life through Christ
-- God can’t be bribed – God’s favor – His
grace and mercy – His salvation – is not for sale – we don’t receive God’s
grace because we do things for Him or because we say the right words or pray
the right prayers – God’s favor and salvation only comes to those who repent
and put their faith and trust in His Son for the forgiveness of sins and
eternal life
-- God cares for everyone,
especially for the down-trodden and the forgotten – for the least of these that
the world looks down on or forgets – He defends the cause of the fatherless and
the widow and the foreigners residing among us
– He blesses them and pours out His grace
and provisions on them – giving them food and clothing and sustainment even as
the world turns a blind eye to them or persecutes them unfairly
-- He reminds the Israelites here to love
the foreigners who live in their midst, because they were once loved in the
same way when they lived in a foreign land
-- and while these commands are
specifically for the nation of Israel, they are reiterated in the New
Testament, as Jesus calls for us to remember and to love and serve everyone –
to love the orphans and the widows and the foreigners – to even love our
enemies and those who wrong us and not just our neighbors and our families – to
share the love of God with all without partiality or favor – to love as we were
loved and to serve in obedience to God’s commands
-- Moses charges us here to hold fast to
God – this means to follow Him – to do His will – to obey His commands – to
love Him and serve Him -- to always lift Him up and give Him glory and honor
and praise
-- he reminds us that we are to always
praise God for who He is and what He has done – to remember God and to praise
Him above all else – and to fulfill this vision of God in our lives and in our
families and in our churches, just as the nation of Israel sought to fulfill
this vision in their day as they entered the Promised Land
III. Closing
-- in the nation of Ghana, their native
language doesn’t have a word for religion – so, if you want to know what
religion a person is you have to ask them this question, “Whom do you serve?”
-- I like that, because that carries a lot
more weight than simply telling someone your religion – regardless of what we
might say in response to the question, “What is your religion?” – regardless of
denominational loyalties or official creeds or statements of faith – our true
god is the one we serve – the one we love – the one we follow
-- a lot of people in the world today call
themselves Christians, but they show who they are really following by what they
do and what they say and the way they act – and I’ve met a lot of people who
claim to be Christians who don’t act or speak in a godly manner – who act in
ways that God condemns in His word
-- I worry about that in my own life – I
am reminded of the disciples’ response at the Last Supper when Jesus announced
that one of them would betray Him – and each one of them said, “Is it me?” – I
feel that – for any of us can turn away from God and start serving man-made
idols, including political leaders or political movements or religion
-- God knows that this is a danger in our
lives – He knew it was a danger to the Israelites – so, He gave them and us
this vision and mission in Deuteronomy 10 to follow Him – to fear Him above all
else – to love Him and to walk in obedience with Him – to serve Him with all
our hearts and souls and minds – for this is how we remain steadfast and loyal
– this is how we know we are on the right path
-- as the Bible says, we need a vision in
order to prosper and do what God has called us to do – we have that vision –
that model – that goal -- here before us in this passage
-- so, may we write these commands on our
hearts – may we evaluate the path we are on and make sure we are following and
serving only the Lord God Almighty and no other – may we walk humbly with Him
and love Him all our days and serve and love those around us as He loves them
-- with that, let us close in prayer and
move forward in grace and love and service to our God
-- let us pray
